Last week saw the announcement by Elon Musk that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be the first private passenger aboard the Tesla CEO's Big Falcon Rocket. Alongside, it was also suggested that Maezawa would invite a group of artists to come along on his trip to the moon, expected to launch in 2023.
The proposal, which asks the visionary space travelers to create something after they return to Earth, has led to much speculation about whom might be chosen, and what might they create. Curious as well, the New York Times asked eight artists to put together some pitches of their own.
Among the speculative projects is a very bold bid by Daniel Libeskind to transform the moon into a perfect square. The Polish-American architect told the NYT:
I like that this project is about art rather than science. So my proposal is to turn the moon itself into an art project: It’s a sphere and I want to turn it into a perfect square. That’s the dream.
My son Noam is an astrophysicist at the Leibniz Institute in Germany, and we did some calculations about how it could work. We thought the best way would be to paint sections of it black, so they no longer reflect the sun’s light. To account for the curvature, you’d need to paint four spherical caps on the moon’s surface. That would create a kind of frame that looks square when you see it from earth.
I get that it’s probably not the cheapest concept — our estimate is about $10 trillion for paint costs alone — but I like the way that it would transform the moon into a work of contemporary art. Think of how amazing it would be to watch the phases shift; the light come across the visible portion, the craters, the Sea of Tranquillity, all framed by this rigid black square. Like a Malevich or Mondrian painting hanging in the sky. Literally a lunatic project.
Libeskind's pitch is one of the more audacious ideas in the round up, perhaps matched only by the German filmmaker Hito Steyerl's idea to convince the seven other invited artists to not blast off to the moon.
17 Comments
I think Danny Libeskind should go to the moon ..... preferably if he agrees never to return to earth where his designs create so much ugliness and stupidity.
I foresee something.... sharp and pointy.
Sharp and pointy with gratuitous 80s-ish stripes? Bingo.
"Curse you, Donna Sink!" --Daniel Libeskind
And, based on personal experience, the other thing he'll do is talk non-stop on the trip until one of his fellow passengers breaks open the airlock in a quest for sweet relief.
Send him to Mars with Musk.
One-way trip.
Take him, take him (and about 80% of other old-fart architects) with him
wish I had more hands for the circlejerk
.
lol. ok.
April Fools!
I wouldn't want to be quoted as his son.
the NYT has the worst architect roledex. All those worst people and a bunch of bureaucrats
Why not use Daniel Libeskind as the FUEL for the SpaceX rocket going to the moon? That way there’s no chance of him returning to earth!
Every comment you've made on Archinect is dedicated to bashing Libeskind. What's up?
Yeah, fess up. Bitter ex? Estranged kid? Disgruntled staff? We need to know.
Dresden, Germany, is home to one of Liebskind's works, an addition to a museum:
It is also home to the restored Frauenkirche, which was reduced to rubble by the RAF in WW II. Many of the RAF crews expressed outrage to their superiors at what they had been ordered to do despite being subject to military discipline for speaking their mind. The dark brown parts of the church are the original
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.